Chiang Mai, Thailand

Walking markets, flower markets, fish markets

Talat Warorot market

On Sunday we headed back to the flower market, and travelled a bit further to the main food market, Talat Warorot, with the intention of taking lots of cool photos.

The flower marketFish on sale at Talat Warorot

It felt like you could buy anything here, stalls piled high with every type of fruit, flower, vegetable, fish, rice and seafood. Open BBQs grilled whole squid, long curly sausages were paraded, chicken and meat joints laid out for all to see (freshness was in doubt), pink dragon fruit kept catching the eye, inside shelves were piled with different types of tea, sweets, fake flowers and even fireworks. Whole tables were devoted to super soakers, water guns for Songkran. Some kids were already in the water fighting spirit, spraying passers by.

Hungry boy wants one of thoseSam trying to choose which fake flowers to bring homeStreet-cooked chickenStreet foodCrispy dried sea-foodPuppy wants to help sell flowersFlowers, 5B each

From 12-3pm we were back at the pool, a common afternoon activity by now, the heat so intense it was impossible to do anything else.

Riots in Bangkok

Following the news of deaths in Bangkok amongst the Red shirt protests, we decided not to go to BKK, and instead rearranged flights and hotels so we could stay in Chiang Mai for Songkran. Our hotel staff, mainly Mr Tommy, were amazing. Mr Tommy called Air Asia on our behalf, getting us a later flight despite missing the 48hr window. He then gave us a room at Rimping Village at a discounted rate and proceeded to help us with getting refunds from the hotel we cancelled in Bangkok. Our moment of stress was quickly over and we could continue enjoying out honeymoon.

In BKK we were going to stay at the Lebua, perhaps eat at Breeze or Bo.lang, and go to Siram Niramit theatre - end it all with a bang.

Sunday walking market

Leaving the hotel later than planned, we got a tuk-tuk into town for the Sunday walking market. Stalls were set along the old town’s main roads, selling all sorts of Thai wonders.

The street food was particularly good and we tried noodles for 15B and an indian vegetable and chicken samosa. The products on sale were also better, more wide ranging and cheaper than at the night market.

Vegetable and chicken samosa

With Songkran approaching the market was far more busy than normal, it got so busy it was impossible to stop and look at the homemade crafts, carvings, t-shirts or jewellery, or any stall. When we found a suitable exit we ducked out and went home, all marketed out.